Community Reviews

When Phil Rossi first asked me to review his novella, Soldier Hill, I have to admit, I was a little skeptical. First off, it’s YA, and you people know how I feel about YA. Secondly, it’s a novella, and to me, novellas often smack of author ambiguity and indecision—as if they started to write a novel and didn’t know what to do with it after a while, so they just cut it off and called it a novella (for this presupposition, just or unjust as it may be, I blame Stephen King). And three, it’s an indiWhen Phil Rossi first asked me to review his novella, Soldier Hill, I have to admit, I was a little skeptical. First off, it’s YA, and you people know how I feel about YA. Secondly, it’s a novella, and to me, novellas often smack of author ambiguity and indecision—as if they started to write a novel and didn’t know what to do with it after a while, so they just cut it off and called it a novella (for this presupposition, just or unjust as it may be, I blame Stephen King). And three, it’s an indie title. Any one—or even two—of those caveats, and I probably wouldn’t have had the same reaction. But all three? No way, Jose. I was all set to run for the hills, but Phil managed to convince me to give it a shot. He was in need, he said, of some honest feedback, and he thought he could get it from my corner of the blogosphere. And as I always say, flattery will get you everywhere.

Now that I’ve read it, I’m really glad I caved.

Soldier Hill is the story of two teenage boys living in the 1980s in… well, I don’t think it ever really says. Maybe the Northeat somewhere? It doesn’t really matter. It could be anywhere in the U.S., and it wouldn't change the substance of the story one iota. That’s the point, I think—an “every man” generic setting to better draw the reader into the story. Anyway, through the various trials and tribulations of growing up as a social misfit (i.e., not one of the cool kids), the boys take it upon themselves to save the memorial of a local soldier who fell in the Vietnam War. The memorial, a tree with a simple plaque, will soon be torn down to make room for an expansion to their school.

A simple enough story, right? Heart-warming, nostalgic, and a bunch of other words you’d use for a made-for-TV movie on the Hallmark channel. In other words, something I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. And truly, I probably would have dropped it like a bad habit had it not been for Rossi’s style and diction. Look-ee here and you’ll see what I mean.

“I left worried for him. The early night, already so black and blue. Old Crow his cut man, patching and gauzing. Joe was my friend, and I was his. Like that night over Normandy, so long ago. He’d crash the dark drop, not knowing where he’d land. I knew he’d land. I knew he’d be in for a tough one. I prayed he could bob and weave these demons, round by round.”

To quote a Guiness commercial, “Brilliant!” The entire book was like that—short, dense sentences chock full of metaphors and slang. It reminded me a lot of James Ellroy, which probably part of why I liked it so much. That being said, it’s also the reason why I say the Soldier Hill really doesn’t qualify as Young Adult fiction. Sure, it features teenagers as protagonists (and that seems to be the most stringent criteria for something being YA these days), but the writing level is a good bit higher than that of most teens. Would the book’s themes—civic responsibility, compassion toward one’s neighbors, and judging not by looks alone—sit well with a lot of young readers? Of course, but I worry they wouldn’t be able to grasp everything they were reading (such as what a “cut man” is), or worse, be turned off by the difficult to comprehend style.

With that being said, Soldier Hill is a story that just about anyone can read and find something to identify with. That’s part of its charm, I think. Rossi has a great grasp of character and dialogue, and while the narrative had a flinty, hardboiled edge at times, it worked well with the plot. Anyway, I happen to like a flinty, hardboiled edge to my fiction (it adds a touch of Noir to any literary dish!), so I didn’t mind. As for how such a style fits in with a YA coming of age-type story, well, it helped to reinforce the “legend in my own mind” vibe given off by the young protagonist. I mean, the narrator calls his bike a “chopper,” refers to authority figures by unflattering epithets, and uses vast amounts of slang. But who didn’t, when growing up, view the events of their lives with a whole helluva lot more importance than they warranted? So in the end, the technique worked—for me, at least. Like I said, I was familiar with the style going into it. And while I’m not a veteran myself, I have multiple family and friends who are, so the aspects of the story about military service, sacrifice, and the honoring of that sacrifice sat well with me. But then again, I doubt there are many readers who would ever say that it didn’t. After all, this is America. If you don’t at least give lip service to supporting the troops, you look like an a-hole.

What didn’t work for me? Well, the narrative structure was a little messy for my tastes. Oh, it came together at the end all right (saving the memorial tree and all that), it just spent the first half of the book kind of meandering. And the meandering bit would have been fine if the main narrative thread had been there from the beginning, but it wasn’t. It took a while to work up to it, and because of that, the first half felt a bit aimless. Then again, life as a teenager is kind of aimless to begin with, so what do I know? There were a few typos and grammatical errors that I noticed, as well as a couple of word choice selections that confused me for a minute or two, but nothing major to report overall.

At one point during our email conversations, Phil did mention to me that other reviewers had suggested fleshing out the characters a little bit with some added wordage, but I disagree. I appreciate a lean narrative style. It is more efficient (most of the time), requires more artistic chops to pull off, and more actively engages the reader. During the reading of Soldier Hill I got an accurate sense of the characters—who they were, how they thought, why they did what they did. Rossi did it with fewer words and more style than a lot of writers out there, and to dilute it with unneeded fluff would only weaken the strong style and narrative form he’s got going. If you want my advice (and I assume Mr. Rossi does, considering he sent his book to me for review), I say change the plot structure if you’re going to change anything. Or tweak it a little. Maybe give it the stinkeye for a while. Whatever. Most of it’s great the way it is. I give it four stars.

First and foremost, I have to mention what came to me as soon as I started reading this novella. I found the language incredibly difficult to get through and, at times, alienating. It is written, I guess, in 1980s US slang. And being someone who was neither a teenager (the age of the main characters in the novella), nor from the US, at times I had to read lines three or four times just to work out what on earth was going on. It also feI was given a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.

First and foremost, I have to mention what came to me as soon as I started reading this novella. I found the language incredibly difficult to get through and, at times, alienating. It is written, I guess, in 1980s US slang. And being someone who was neither a teenager (the age of the main characters in the novella), nor from the US, at times I had to read lines three or four times just to work out what on earth was going on. It also felt very definitely that it was aimed at a male audience (again, something I am not).

That said, whilst it limited the works accessibility for me, I don't think that the language is necessarily a bad point. It just means that I am not the target audience. Once I got through the language, I found Soldier Hill an interesting, if at times slow and meandering, read. I felt that the story lacked some focus - at times wandering off from the main topic of the search for and 'protection' of the fallen soldier known for a lot of the time only as 'Billy' into talk of paper rounds and the other miscellany of life. Yet, this, again, was a true reflection of teenage existence of any age.

It was a sweet, at times poignant little tale. There were some nice parts with commentary about other who had given their lives for their country. Honestly, I would have liked to see more of that. With a tale as meandering as this, it would have been good to have more learning about the history of things, and some further character growth, which I think there was room for. In places, it felt as if there were lost opportunities. That all said, I feel that for the right people, this would be a very rewarding story....more

It's only a short novella focused around a teenage boy not sure what to do with his life. He's being pushed in all sorts of directions and doesn't feel a desire to follow any of them. The one thing that does strike a chord with him is a tree in the school grounds destined to be uprooted as building work happens around the school. Upon further investigation, he finds out that the tree was planted as a memorial to a soldier - a yI received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's only a short novella focused around a teenage boy not sure what to do with his life. He's being pushed in all sorts of directions and doesn't feel a desire to follow any of them. The one thing that does strike a chord with him is a tree in the school grounds destined to be uprooted as building work happens around the school. Upon further investigation, he finds out that the tree was planted as a memorial to a soldier - a young man from their town who died in Vietnam. He then goes on a mission to rescue the tree from being destroyed.

I enjoyed reading this - for the plot. However, I found the language incredibly difficult to get to grips with. Set in what I think is 1980's America, a lot of the language is slang. Simply incomprehensible slang. Being neither from the 1980s nor the U.S. I was lost throughout much of the book. I had to keep reading sentences over and over again and there are still some parts where I completely zoned out because it was like reading a foreign language. For example: "I sprang the chopper from the grove as they passed. I lunged from the banana seat, pumping madly. It was one thing to drive young, and one notch over an empty parking lot. The Boulevard's a live street, pushing this gig off the chain. Dave crashed the wild, kicking beaucoup ass." From that, I gather somebody got a bike or motorbike maybe (?) and drove it somewhere busy?? Then maybe crashed? But the next paragraph suggests not so I have literally no idea!

If you can handle that kind of slang, this is a nice heartwarming little story about appreciating honour and sacrifice. But personally, I just couldn't get past the language. ...more

Soldier Hill by Phil RossiThis novella begins with a young boy who is in hish school and being pressured to decide what he is going to do with the rest of his life. He just doesn't know. He is a paperboy and meets people that he treats as he is being treated. he does not understand some of the reasoning behind the gossip and inuendos.This is a typical young man who is yet able to legally drive and rides his bike.As constructions starts at his school he finds a plaque at a tree that is going to bSoldier Hill by Phil RossiThis novella begins with a young boy who is in hish school and being pressured to decide what he is going to do with the rest of his life. He just doesn't know. He is a paperboy and meets people that he treats as he is being treated. he does not understand some of the reasoning behind the gossip and inuendos.This is a typical young man who is yet able to legally drive and rides his bike.As constructions starts at his school he finds a plaque at a tree that is going to be removed. That plaque honors a Vietnam Veteran. Who was that veteran and what is he being remembered for. That is the young man's quest. Can he save that tree and plaque?This story is filled with the questions and attempts to understand life. It is told from a young man's perspective. The typical youngster who can describe a bike like it was the one Evil Knievel jumped Snake River Canyon wiith or a car like the one that won the Indy 500. I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 12 adults included.I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more

Soldier Hill is a touching story celebrating the lives of soldiers who have fought for their country. Eddie is a high school kid. He doesn’t do well in school, and he doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. His guidance counselor doesn’t think he is going anywhere with his life. Aside from all of this, Eddie shows how big of a heart he has.When Eddie discovers a tablet honoring a boy named Billy on his school grounds, he decides to find out more about him. Having someone die who lived soSoldier Hill is a touching story celebrating the lives of soldiers who have fought for their country. Eddie is a high school kid. He doesn’t do well in school, and he doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. His guidance counselor doesn’t think he is going anywhere with his life. Aside from all of this, Eddie shows how big of a heart he has.When Eddie discovers a tablet honoring a boy named Billy on his school grounds, he decides to find out more about him. Having someone die who lived so close to him really hit home. He felt a connection to Billy and wasn’t sure why. With the Vietnam War taking too many young people and affecting families all over the country, Eddie was determined to find out who Billy was, where he came from and who his family is.This book follows Eddie is his adventure from researching at the library to asking around town. Joe is a lonely old man in town that everyone talks about. They spread nasty rumors about him being crazy and even a little creepy. There is a room in his house that is closed and locked so no one can venture in. When Eddie becomes friends with Joe despite everyone’s warnings, he uncovers all of the answers he needs. When the tribute to Billy is then threatened to be destroyed by contractors taking down the trees around the school, Eddie enlists the help of his good friend Dave to save the tree and the tablet in order to protect the memory and tribute to Billy. Through much hard work and determination they preserve the memorial, even if it means moving it to a different park. This is a wonderful story about being selfless and honoring those who sacrifice so much their country. It is touching and memorable for being just a short novella. I really enjoyed the writing style as well. A lot of times with historical fiction, (okay, it isn’t THAT far back in history, but stick with me) authors tend to try too hard to make it authentic, and it just ends up being boring and having no good flow to it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case with this one. It had a nice flow to it, and I didn’t find myself bored at any part of the story. I did find myself wondering why there was so much focus on the “crazy” old man, but it all comes full circle and makes sense at the end. The story is sweet, the writing is on-point, and it is easy to get through. 5/5 stars from me. I did really enjoy it. ...more

Eddie and Dave are two young friends, both coming from working class families. They don't have goals in life and they are treated poorly by some of the wealthier kids. Nonetheless, when there is some expansion and remodeling done at the high school, Eddie takes an interest in a small tree. It was planted in honor of a fallen soldier and Eddie wants to know who and why it's not discussed at the school.

So embarks his and Dave's journey in determining who the Soldier was and they eventually do findEddie and Dave are two young friends, both coming from working class families. They don't have goals in life and they are treated poorly by some of the wealthier kids. Nonetheless, when there is some expansion and remodeling done at the high school, Eddie takes an interest in a small tree. It was planted in honor of a fallen soldier and Eddie wants to know who and why it's not discussed at the school.

So embarks his and Dave's journey in determining who the Soldier was and they eventually do find the father of the fallen boy. It's a unique story with a great concept. Good for adults to read but also a fabulous coming of age story. There are some twists and turns that I didn't expect, but it is a short novel. The only thing I had a problem adjusting to was the language. I'm not very good with slang, so it took me a bit to catch onto the lingo. But once I did, I found myself turning the pages, immersed in the story. The cover is a big 'manly' for my taste and suggest a male driven book, but it really is written to be enjoyed by all. Great story!...more

MY REVIEWI was given the e-copy of this book by the Author Phil Rossi in exchange for my honest,unbiased opinion.So the cover, I would say it would attract boys and men but perhaps put off the females a little. The cover is more representative of the fallen soldier being honored than the other characters in the book. In my opinion the blurb really doesn't do the book justice, and perhaps isn't drawing as many readers to this book as it could or should. The book is fairly sort and I read it all iMY REVIEWI was given the e-copy of this book by the Author Phil Rossi in exchange for my honest,unbiased opinion.So the cover, I would say it would attract boys and men but perhaps put off the females a little. The cover is more representative of the fallen soldier being honored than the other characters in the book. In my opinion the blurb really doesn't do the book justice, and perhaps isn't drawing as many readers to this book as it could or should. The book is fairly sort and I read it all in one go. So its the ideal length for a "cup of tea" afternoon read.My first instinct was that this book was going to be a "Blokey" mans book, but it really isn't. It's the story of a couple of young lads who the school system and it seems everyone around them has written off as layabouts and "never do wells". They aren't the popular guys, in fact they are more belonging to the misfit's crowd, who get bullied by the more popular well off kids. Both the boys David and Eddie come from a working class background and have paper rounds. That's how Eddie meets the man whose son is the soldier honored by the tree planted at their school. The story revolves around the tree. The school is having an extension built and the tree is taken out and just laid aside, discarded unceremoniously on the ground. I don't want to tell you the whole story, as you should read it for yourself. It's quite unusual what the boys decide to do and there's a surprise twist or turn here and there too.So what did I think? The first part of the story seemed slightly wordy, and a little over described in places. The plot was a little slow starting. Then when you realize certain things come together like a jigsaw and make more sense. When you have finished the book you can't help but smile. In our era of soldiers being away on duty makes the story all the more poignant really.Did I enjoy the book? After the first third of it yes I did. Would I recommend it? I think perhaps it is something that could be read in schools to promote respect for soldiers, and each other. As well as reinforcing the "lest we forget" message of Remembrance Day. Would I read more by this author? Yes I would give other books by him a go....more

Soldier Hill by Phil RossiI received this book from the author for a fair and honest review.In all honesty, I had a very hard time reading this book. The vernacular was foreign to me, whether it is American speech and not written word, 80's street lingo, or simply a more closely knit dialect I can't say.But the vernacular used, being foreign to me made me struggle with the book and had me a bit frustrated. The boy in the story, Eddie or Higgs as he is known is a character most of us can and willSoldier Hill by Phil RossiI received this book from the author for a fair and honest review.In all honesty, I had a very hard time reading this book. The vernacular was foreign to me, whether it is American speech and not written word, 80's street lingo, or simply a more closely knit dialect I can't say.But the vernacular used, being foreign to me made me struggle with the book and had me a bit frustrated. The boy in the story, Eddie or Higgs as he is known is a character most of us can and will relate to. He has no idea what his future will bring but he knows he wants a car and not only a car, THE car. But Eddie has no plans for his future, he would rather cut class than study, he is not a bully but has to tread carefully. Eddie is the boy next door.Then one day Eddie notice a small struggling tree at his school. The tree is dedicated to Billy, a Vietnam War veteran who sacrificed his life for his country. A war veteran with no surname, nothing to identify him and who died a boy, although a hero, still a boy.So begins Higg's story. One in which he tries to find out who Billy is, how come nobody really talks about the war. And so begins the struggle to save the tree, the one thing still standing as a testimony towards the brave act of a boy dying for the liberty of his country.The more I read of the book, the more I became accustomed to the colloquial speech, writing style. With ease of reading returning I got invested in the book. By the end of the story, after struggle, camaraderie and small acts of kindness Higg's does one thing possibly more important than ever obtaining a white collar job. He makes an unintended difference. This is my first ever 10 * review. I am almost certain that if you start the book on my recommendation you will remember this 10 * and wonder what I was thinking. But it is ok. I am not losing my marbles. By the last five pages in this book I experienced that very odd and uncomfortable feeling. You know the one; it starts from your stomach and moves up until your eyes over flows by itself. It is not in actual fact crying, it is past that, it is the feeling of being moved and knowing you will never forget the story that moved you such. Ironically not being a US citizen I finished this book on the 4Th of July. And I need to say, happy Independence day, it was bought for in blood. Make it count. ...more

I received this book to give an honest review.This was a decent read, but I really did not get into like I thought I would. The blurb does not really give the book justice. It take me a while to really get into the story, and truly understand what was going on. Eddie embarks on a journey with his friend Dave to find out why there is a tree planted there with the remembrance of a soldier. Why does no one in the school or in town speak of it? Or speak of the person? Eddie finds out the story behinI received this book to give an honest review.This was a decent read, but I really did not get into like I thought I would. The blurb does not really give the book justice. It take me a while to really get into the story, and truly understand what was going on. Eddie embarks on a journey with his friend Dave to find out why there is a tree planted there with the remembrance of a soldier. Why does no one in the school or in town speak of it? Or speak of the person? Eddie finds out the story behind the soldier and finds out who his father is.All in all it was a good book, but there were some things that did bother me.I found the fight scene where the word "kidney" was used repeatedly was just ridiculous, he could have used another word. Also I kept going back to find out what the author meant by kidney. There was slang that just really was hard to understand I guess being a young adult I didn't use any of the slang growing up. I do have to the story did turn out pretty good, being as it helps you remember our soldiers back then and even now. At the end where there was a memorial put in remembrance to Billy and other soldier's I thought that was really sweet and caring. Especially with the change that was going on around in the town.

I am reviewing Soldier Hill because I recieved a free copy of the book from the author.

Soldier Hill was difficult to get through. I don't think I've ever had to struggle so much to finish a book. Here are a few reasons why Soldier Hill disappointed me:

Firstly, I'd like to make a note of the grammar. There are misspelled words, incorrect punctuation, an endless amount of fragment sentences. The latter was probably the most annoying. Normally, I don't have any problem with fragment sentences. In fI am reviewing Soldier Hill because I recieved a free copy of the book from the author.

Soldier Hill was difficult to get through. I don't think I've ever had to struggle so much to finish a book. Here are a few reasons why Soldier Hill disappointed me:

Firstly, I'd like to make a note of the grammar. There are misspelled words, incorrect punctuation, an endless amount of fragment sentences. The latter was probably the most annoying. Normally, I don't have any problem with fragment sentences. In fact, I think they can be helpful in adding to the atmosphere and tone of a book. However, in Soldier Hill, there were more fragment sentences than complete ones. It became difficult to read and I found myself constantly wondering what was going on because I couldn't understand it.

Secondly, and this is again about the writing, the terminology used was...I'm gonna say "strange." There was a gratuitous abundance of slang words and phrases; so much that, paired with the fragment sentences, I barely knew where the story was going. I felt I was reading a foreign language. Yes, I understand, you want to make it so that the characters seem real and relatable. But when it comes to the point that the reader can barely deduce what you mean to say, I think it's time to lay off on the experimental writing techniques.

Thirdly, this is a YA book that takes place in the 80's. It was written in 2012. I see somewhat of a problem there. You don't? Let me explain. YA novels are written for and geared towards teenagers. Ages 13-18. If it was written in 2012, then the earliest a member from the projected audience could have been born is '94. Simply put, I'm 14 and didn't grow up in the 80's, therefore the 80's references are lost on me. I'm sure kids of the 80's would have gotten them, but they are all adults now. I'm not saying that this book shouldn't have been written all; I just think the author should have kept his readers' approximate ages in mind.

Fourthly, I thought the plot jumped around too much, or rather, it didn't stay on the topic of the fallen soldier. We read about Higgs's paper route, his obsession with cars, talking with neighbors, etc. For the most part, though, I felt that the "fallen soldier" aspect of the story was very neglected.

Lastly, and this is, believe it or not, a positive comment, I found that subject of the story to be both simple and unique. The author didn't need to concoct a huge fantasy world with mythical creatures and a whole new set of physical laws. It's a simple plot, and I appreciate that. If it had been executed better, I feel that much more of the story's potential could have been drawn out....more